HDR Aksarben Office

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choke
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by choke »

Dundeemaha wrote:
guest2017 wrote:
Dundeemaha wrote:
guest2017 wrote:
Busguy2010 wrote: Hopefully a good chunk of their employees will use transit.
Don't get your hopes up because this won't happen.
I wonder what impact this has on MAPA's planning. All of their looking range options with more transit investment include a Center - Saddlecreek - Maple BRT line.
Image
Dodge Street BRT, which has been in development for years now isn't scheduled to come on service until 2018 - if it ever does - even though TIGER funding was approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2014. Don't get your hopes up for a BRT line that isn't on Dodge for the next decade.
So.. you're saying 2027 :D
Not sure how they possibly think this will be done by 2018 if it construction doesn't start this year. Anyone know when construction was supposed to start?
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Busguy2010
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by Busguy2010 »

choke wrote:
Dundeemaha wrote:
guest2017 wrote:
Dundeemaha wrote:
guest2017 wrote:
Busguy2010 wrote: Hopefully a good chunk of their employees will use transit.
Don't get your hopes up because this won't happen.
I wonder what impact this has on MAPA's planning. All of their looking range options with more transit investment include a Center - Saddlecreek - Maple BRT line.
Image
Dodge Street BRT, which has been in development for years now isn't scheduled to come on service until 2018 - if it ever does - even though TIGER funding was approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2014. Don't get your hopes up for a BRT line that isn't on Dodge for the next decade.
So.. you're saying 2027 :D
Not sure how they possibly think this will be done by 2018 if it construction doesn't start this year. Anyone know when construction was supposed to start?
It is actually scheduled to be complete in fall of 2018, and there are going to be very minimal infrastructure improvements. All they have to do is build the stations, lay down a couple jump lanes, re-stripe Dodge Street, and put in some light extending electronics.

I think it's going to be pretty underwhelming as a transit improvement, but it will look clean and maybe encourage new people to ride.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by choke »

Busguy2010 wrote:
choke wrote:
Dundeemaha wrote:
guest2017 wrote:
Dundeemaha wrote:
guest2017 wrote:
Busguy2010 wrote: Hopefully a good chunk of their employees will use transit.
Don't get your hopes up because this won't happen.
I wonder what impact this has on MAPA's planning. All of their looking range options with more transit investment include a Center - Saddlecreek - Maple BRT line.
Image
Dodge Street BRT, which has been in development for years now isn't scheduled to come on service until 2018 - if it ever does - even though TIGER funding was approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2014. Don't get your hopes up for a BRT line that isn't on Dodge for the next decade.
So.. you're saying 2027 :D
Not sure how they possibly think this will be done by 2018 if it construction doesn't start this year. Anyone know when construction was supposed to start?
It is actually scheduled to be complete in fall of 2018, and there are going to be very minimal infrastructure improvements. All they have to do is build the stations, lay down a couple jump lanes, re-stripe Dodge Street, and put in some light extending electronics.

I think it's going to be pretty underwhelming as a transit improvement, but it will look clean and maybe encourage new people to ride.
So, basically like the city's "bike lanes"? Some new bus shelters and some awkward re-striping of Dodge Street?
guest2017
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by guest2017 »

choke wrote:
Busguy2010 wrote:
choke wrote:
Dundeemaha wrote:
guest2017 wrote:
Dundeemaha wrote:
guest2017 wrote:
Busguy2010 wrote: Hopefully a good chunk of their employees will use transit.
Don't get your hopes up because this won't happen.
I wonder what impact this has on MAPA's planning. All of their looking range options with more transit investment include a Center - Saddlecreek - Maple BRT line.
Image
Dodge Street BRT, which has been in development for years now isn't scheduled to come on service until 2018 - if it ever does - even though TIGER funding was approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2014. Don't get your hopes up for a BRT line that isn't on Dodge for the next decade.
So.. you're saying 2027 :D
Not sure how they possibly think this will be done by 2018 if it construction doesn't start this year. Anyone know when construction was supposed to start?
It is actually scheduled to be complete in fall of 2018, and there are going to be very minimal infrastructure improvements. All they have to do is build the stations, lay down a couple jump lanes, re-stripe Dodge Street, and put in some light extending electronics.

I think it's going to be pretty underwhelming as a transit improvement, but it will look clean and maybe encourage new people to ride.
So, basically like the city's "bike lanes"? Some new bus shelters and some awkward re-striping of Dodge Street?
...you know, if you don't include that Omaha is acquiring new buses for it. The main concern with BRT is not building it, it's getting funding approval, designing a route and teaching people how to properly use the system. However, in places that have effective BRT systems, the lane is normally specially designated for BRT or HOV. In Omaha, if they don't utilize queue jumping (most likely newly constructed lanes or taking away from general traffic), I don't see how BRT makes the commute faster than driving oneself.

Keeping the comment on subject - I'm curious if HDR's move will remove the BRT stop at 84th? HDR is the designer behind Omaha's BRT and they had a stop set at their HQ on dodge.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by lmdramos »

You've still got a lot of office buildings there as well as the large employers in Methodist and Children's.
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iamjacobm
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by iamjacobm »

TIF before the planning board.
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Coyote
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by Coyote »

I heard a rumor that the Ground Breaking Ceremony will be on Friday.
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iamjacobm
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by iamjacobm »

Coyote wrote:I heard a rumor that the Ground Breaking Ceremony will be on Friday.
Going to be a really tight year in A/V with this u/c and UNO having two big projects going. I think it will all work out once it is finished up, but there is a LOT of activity in the area right now.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by Glasshole »

Does anybody have an idea of who the names of the contractors that got awarded the bids? 2018 will be here before we know it that doesn't leave much time to build a world class headquarters.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by iamjacobm »

Glasshole wrote:Does anybody have an idea of who the names of the contractors that got awarded the bids? 2018 will be here before we know it that doesn't leave much time to build a world class headquarters.
Pretty sure Kiewit has been the builder from day one.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by Glasshole »

I guess I should have been more specific. Like the drywall company, steel erection, exterior glazing, plumbing and mechanical companies. I was just curious if they were local or out of town
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iamjacobm
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by iamjacobm »

Glasshole wrote:I guess I should have been more specific. Like the drywall company, steel erection, exterior glazing, plumbing and mechanical companies. I was just curious if they were local or out of town
I don't think anyone has ever posted things like that here.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by Lillian Bean »

Glasshole wrote:I guess I should have been more specific. Like the drywall company, steel erection, exterior glazing, plumbing and mechanical companies. I was just curious if they were local or out of town
This is a negotiated job for Kiewit, so there has not been a competitive bid. Kiewit will likely take subcontractor bids when the design is done in at least a year. They typically use mostly local subs for these trades.
Thinking there's not a whole lot to say anymore now that people listen & she has to make sense.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by Coyote »

Going before the Planning Board next Wednesday.
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skinzfan23
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by skinzfan23 »

Coyote wrote:I heard a rumor that the Ground Breaking Ceremony will be on Friday.
Maybe it will be next Friday then....I didn't see anything there today.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by hatwate »

They must be getting ready to do something. The block was mostly mowed late this week. Also some worker bees were over there mid-week with a pole and GPS unit on the top wandering all over the place taking some kind of measurements. Not surveyors. My husband thought they might be mapping/confirming all the little oddities of the site like the drainage area on the S end between the parking lot and the undeveloped area, the electrical boxes, etc.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by hatwate »

This mornings WH about the TIF request for this project: http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/hdr-mig ... 1b91a.html
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by MadMartin8 »

hatwate wrote:This mornings WH about the TIF request for this project: http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/hdr-mig ... 1b91a.html
Be curious to see how that is received.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by Linkin5 »

MadMartin8 wrote:
hatwate wrote:This mornings WH about the TIF request for this project: http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/hdr-mig ... 1b91a.html
Be curious to see how that is received.

I'm sure not well.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by Omaha Cowboy »

Linkin5 wrote:
MadMartin8 wrote:
hatwate wrote:This mornings WH about the TIF request for this project: http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/hdr-mig ... 1b91a.html
Be curious to see how that is received.

I'm sure not well.
It's like more salt being poured into an un-healed, ever festering wound...

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iamjacobm
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by iamjacobm »

It isn't like they were going to bypass TIF out of the goodness of their heart.
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Crockett1985
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by Crockett1985 »

Longtime lurker, first time poster here. I've followed this HDR story elsewhere and can't help but conclude someone, somewhere else dropped the ball with regards to the issue of locating downtown. After ConAgra decided to pack up and move to Chicago, there was great anger & consternation, not only over the loss of jobs, but over the fact that past political/business leaders agreed to the wholesale evisceration of Jobber's Canyon just so ConAgra could build their sparkling campus. Whoever was ultimately responsible for letting the Specht Building and those one or two others get placed on the chopping block, was rather short sighted in my opinion (in not recognizing that anger) and deserves the blame for HDR's decision to relocate.

That aside, I'm not quite sure what to say about the traffic - seems to be a 'lesser of two evils' situation. As one who occasionally bikes to work though, I would definitely not discount the proximity of the Keystone Trail to Aksarben Village. As opposed to the Big Papio Trail that doesn't have a major east-west connector (at least not that I've ever found?), the Keystone does - hooking in with the Elmwood Park connecter at about 70th & Pacific and meandering north and east for some distance. I know that probably not many workers are bike commuters or would otherwise appreciate this, just thought it is a nice silver lining though.
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Linkin5
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by Linkin5 »

Crockett1985 wrote:Whoever was ultimately responsible for letting the Specht Building and those one or two others get placed on the chopping block, was rather short sighted in my opinion (in not recognizing that anger) and deserves the blame for HDR's decision to relocate.
First, welcome. It was OPA that put these buildings on the chopping block.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by MTO »

Those two or three little buildings caused a 14 story downtown addition to be built in a CBD-syphon-district at 10 floors. F' those worthless buildings.
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GetUrban
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by GetUrban »

One Company - Many Solutions (HDR) and OPAS were too stubborn to make it happen.

http://www.restorationexchange.org/2016 ... buildings/

It wasn't an addition. HDR had a whole city block to craft their solution. (addition to downtown, yes)
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by GetUrban »

iamjacobm wrote:It isn't like they were going to bypass TIF out of the goodness of their heart.
Yep. If everyone else is getting it, why not this project too?
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Crockett1985
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by Crockett1985 »

MTO wrote:Those two or three little buildings caused a 14 story downtown addition to be built in a CBD-syphon-district at 10 floors. F' those worthless buildings.
Better than giving in to corporate extortion, demoing whole blocks for a company and then having said company up and leave (with most of its jobs) after not even 25 years. *(incidentally, I think you can thank them for bringing about TIF too)


The Capital District should do well to make up for this though.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by guest2017 »

GetUrban wrote:One Company - Many Solutions (HDR) and OPAS were too stubborn to make it happen.

http://www.restorationexchange.org/2016 ... buildings/

It wasn't an addition. HDR had a whole city block to craft their solution. (addition to downtown, yes)
...this basically says that OPAS wanted something specific - requiring demoing the buildings - and HDR, being the designer trying to please their client, designed a solution that their client wanted. If OPAS wanted to keep the building, or gave that as an option for HDR to design, they would have done it.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by GetUrban »

guest2017 wrote:
GetUrban wrote:One Company - Many Solutions (HDR) and OPAS were too stubborn to make it happen.

http://www.restorationexchange.org/2016 ... buildings/

It wasn't an addition. HDR had a whole city block to craft their solution. (addition to downtown, yes)
...this basically says that OPAS wanted something specific - requiring demoing the buildings - and HDR, being the designer trying to please their client, designed a solution that their client wanted. If OPAS wanted to keep the building, or gave that as an option for HDR to design, they would have done it.
The REO story also says:

Stott said it was “surprisingly easy” to create schemes to meet the Holland’s space requirements. He noted HDR was responding to a client’s needs and requirements. “They had done a lot of legwork; they traveled and toured similar facilities. In my personal opinion, the restrictions given to HDR forced the solution in a specific direction.
“As independent peers, the Gang challenged those requirements,” Stott said. “By challenging them, we met both the spirit and the letter of those requirements.”


The "Gang of 5" found solutions that would have met OPAS program needs. That was the main point...that it was possible to keep the historic buildings and meet their program needs. They don't say exactly what the "restrictions given to HDR" were, but one would assume clearing the historic site first was an OPAS requirement.

Also keep in mind that HDR had a whole block across the street, a clean slate, which could have been configured to add additional functional space for OPAS, such as parking, to make up for any shortcomings OPAS had on their constrained property. They couldn't work it out.
He said "They are some big, ugly red brick buildings"
...and then they were gone.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by ShaneofCal »

GetUrban wrote:
guest2017 wrote:
GetUrban wrote:One Company - Many Solutions (HDR) and OPAS were too stubborn to make it happen.

http://www.restorationexchange.org/2016 ... buildings/

It wasn't an addition. HDR had a whole city block to craft their solution. (addition to downtown, yes)
...this basically says that OPAS wanted something specific - requiring demoing the buildings - and HDR, being the designer trying to please their client, designed a solution that their client wanted. If OPAS wanted to keep the building, or gave that as an option for HDR to design, they would have done it.
The REO story also says:

Stott said it was “surprisingly easy” to create schemes to meet the Holland’s space requirements. He noted HDR was responding to a client’s needs and requirements. “They had done a lot of legwork; they traveled and toured similar facilities. In my personal opinion, the restrictions given to HDR forced the solution in a specific direction.
“As independent peers, the Gang challenged those requirements,” Stott said. “By challenging them, we met both the spirit and the letter of those requirements.”


The "Gang of 5" found solutions that would have met OPAS program needs. That was the main point...that it was possible to keep the historic buildings and meet their program needs. They don't say exactly what the "restrictions given to HDR" were, but one would assume clearing the historic site first was an OPAS requirement.

Also keep in mind that HDR had a whole block across the street, a clean slate, which could have been configured to add additional functional space for OPAS, such as parking, to make up for any shortcomings OPAS had on their constrained property. They couldn't work it out.
I am absolutely blown away by this article. In a mere three hours time, 5 individuals were able to develop innovative solutions to the quagmire in which the city, OPAS, and HDR found themselves. Has there ever been a clearer example of a "win-win" situation or a "have your cake and eat it, too" scenario? Take your pick of proverbial expressions. I hope that the recommendation made towards the end of the article actually comes to fruition in some way, shape, or form. No longer can those who seek to develop in Omaha--OPAS, Mutual of Omaha, and Conagra, to name but a few notable examples--make the genuine claim that their plans can only be achieved with a blank slate. This is a "win-win" for Omaha.

GetUrban, thank you for sharing.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by iamjacobm »

The planning department passed an amendment to the Aksarben Village Mixed Use Development Agreement to make this lot a 160 Ft height limit. I would assume this finial height will be pretty much what they requested. ~160 feet should have a notable presence.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by skinzfan23 »

Any idea how tall BCBS is?
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by Coyote »

skinzfan23 wrote:Any idea how tall BCBS is?
I'm checking...
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by Coyote »

164 feet
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by Tornado »

Will HDR's clients be able to see it driving in from the airport? Sorry, I couldn't resist. Lol
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by iamjacobm »

TIF documents confirm. 160 ft building.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by hatwate »

TIF for this project is on the City Council agenda for tomorrow, 9/27. TIF info: http://cityclerk.cityofomaha.org/images ... c/1353.pdf
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by MTO »

Just this once, deny the TIF.
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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by RNcyanide »

MTO wrote:Just this once, deny the TIF.
Why?
When fortune smiles on something as violent and ugly as revenge, it seems proof like no other that not only does God exist, you're doing his will.

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Re: HDR Aksarben Office

Post by MTO »

RNcyanide wrote:
MTO wrote:Just this once, deny the TIF.
Why?
Pretty simple enmity, 100% malignity, spite, revenge.
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